Founded in 1907, Beeston Hockey Club was formed by a number of Nottingham High School Old Boys who lived in Beeston, a suburb of Nottingham.
By 1913/14 they ran two teams but, in common with many other sports, they suspended battle on the field for the real hostilities of the First World War, most players having volunteered.
Re-forming in 1919/20, they played in two more venues in Beeston before moving, along with other hockey clubs, to the new City Council park at Highfields in 1928/29 where they remained until 1966/67 when they moved to the ground behind the Ferry Boat Inn at Stoke Bardolph on the other side of the city. It was here that the highly successful Beeston Sixes tournament was started in 1972.
The club ran two teams regularly from 1913 to 1957, three teams from 1957 to 1966, four teams from 1966 to 1971 and then five, six and seven teams until they now field seven Men's teams and seven Ladies teams. The Veterans (Old Bees) were founded in 1977 by Andrew Clarke and a Sunday side, the Besoms, played from 1958 to 1992.
After some ten years (in 1977/78) they returned to Highfields, joining with Crimson Ramblers Ladies Hockey Club to form Highfields Sports Club.
Major changes to the ground facilities took place firstly in 1988 with the opening of one of the first artificial sand-based playing surfaces owned by a private club, an initiative led by John Bosworth and Jed Gisborne.
Secondly and even more substantially, three new pitches (including one of the latest water-based surfaces) were put down and the clubhouse re-modelled with substantial financial aid from Sport England and the Lottery Fund - opening completed in 2002.
In 2005 Beeston HC formed a Ladies Section, largely from the former Charnock Ladies HC and in 2008 Beeston Hockey Club and Nottingham Highfields Ladies HC (formed by a merger between Crimson Ramblers and Sherwood Ladies Hockey Clubs) agreed to merge to form a new Beeston Hockey Club, fielding eight Men's and seven Ladies teams.
League hockey began in the Midlands in 1975/76 with Beeston positioned in Division 3. After fluctuating fortunes, Graham Griffiths and Steve Musson guided the 1st XI into the National League in 1992.
Beeston has established itself in both National Outdoor and Indoor Leagues and having reached the English Hockey Cup Final in 1997/98 they went on to represent England in the European Cup-Winners Cup in Amsterdam in 1999.
In the early days the club's administration was dominated by one name - Frederick L. (Freddy) Jones. A founder member of the club, he was Hon. Secretary from 1923 to 1960, Hon. Treasurer from 1923 to 1946 and President from 1947 to 1960/61. He then became the first Patron of the club until his death in 1976. Then came the era of E.P. (Dick) Tew, Patron from 1977 to 1986 and Stan Allen, both of whom filled a variety of official positions during the 50s, 60s and 70s. They were followed by Martin Cattaway and David Paton and in the 1980s by John Bosworth, Steve LeMottee and Richard Kirk and then by David Williams as Chairmen of the club. Peter Hannah, Axel Palmer, Roger Downer, David Williams and Ian Sutton were Presidents and Peter Hannah was Patron (from 1986 to 2007). Michael Rowen became Patron in 2007.
Adam Dixon and Ollie Willars were once again both part of the Great Britain centrally contracted men's squad based at Bisham Abbey.
In January 2019, the new FIH Pro League for the top nine women's and men's teams was launched. For the first time, England Hockey now has hockey televised regularly in the UK on BT Sport. On the field of play, England men's team, including Ollie Willars and captained by Adam Dixon, successfully reached the play-offs, losing narrowly in the bronze medal match to the Netherlands.
One highlight of the 2019 FIH Pro League was the launch of Big Stadium Hockey. On 23 June, England Hockey hosted two FIH Pro League games against New Zealand Black Sticks at the Twickenham Stoops, home to Harlequins Rugby Football Club. Over 12,000 people made their way to South West London to witness a first for hockey anywhere in the world.
Adam Dixon also led the England men's team in the Belfius European Hockey Championship in Antwerp in August and Adam and Ollie both represented the Great Britain side in the Olympic qualification matches in November. Although qualification was secured, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
The Great Britain Development Programme aims to provide frequent high-quality contact time for a critical mass of the best British talent. It currently supports 29 women and 34 men. The following Beeston players took part in the programme: Nicki Cochrane, Paige Gillott, Kyle Marshall, Gareth Griffiths, Nick Park, Toby Stanley, Josh Pavis, Henry Croft, Stuart Kentwell, James Hunt.
In July 2019, Gareth Griffiths, Nick Park, Josh Pavis and Kyle Marshall were all part of the England U21 team who picked up a European Cup silver medal in Valencia - the first time an England U21 side has achieved this in 21 years.
Paige Gillott also represented England U21 in the European Championships in Valencia and secured their place in the top division.
Gareth Griffiths, Nick Park and Toby Stanley were also part of the Great Britain U21 side who retained the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia and became the first nation to win the competition three times.
The club's 1st team squads attracted a number of players from Northern Ireland and overseas this season: Jenny Rizzo (USA), Justine Baily (Belgium), Agus Fernandez (Argentina), Courtney Schonell (Australia), Erin Anderson (Northern Ireland), Katie McKee (Northern Ireland), Esther Chan (New Zealand), Sophie McDowell (Northern Ireland), Jess Hood (Northern Ireland), Nadia Benallal (Northern Ireland), Harriett Dougan (Northern Ireland), Oriol Roca (Spain), Jonas Holtmanns (Germany), Mark Barlow (Northern Ireland), Matthew Crookshanks (Northern Ireland), Elliot Barton (Australia).
In the 2019/20 season the men's 1st team finished sixth in the England Hockey Premier Division. The team also reached the semi-final stages of the England Hockey Championships where they were due to play Bowdon before the coronavirus outbreak. At this stage, it is unknown whether the competition was to be concluded or not. The team played in the England Hockey Super 6's Indoor Division 1 and finished third for the fourth year running.
During the 2019/20 season Stephen Lawrence reached a record milestone of 400 first team appearances for the club and Adam Dixon became the first team all-time top goalscorer, leapfrogging David Griffiths' record of 129 goals.
The ladies 1st team finished eighth in the England Hockey Investec Premier Division, maintaining their status once again. The team reached the final of the England Hockey Championship for the first time in the club's history and were due to play Clifton Robinsons. As with the men's competition, due to the pandemic, it was unknown whether or not the final would be played. Unfortunately, the team were relegated from the England Hockey Super 6's Indoor Division 1 in January 2020.
The FIH introduced the Pro League which is a new and ground-breaking hockey competition that began in January 2019. Two leagues, one men's and one women's, each comprising the world's leading hockey nations, competed across almost 150 matches, culminating in a Grand Final in June in the Netherlands. Adam Dixon, Mark Gleghorne, Ollie Willars and Nicki Cochrane were all selected to represent Great Britain in this competition.
Other international representation included Jack Tranter, Sophie Robinson, Jess Roe and Caro Hulme (Wales), Serena Barr (Ireland), Jade Lamont, Katie McKee and Matthew Crookshanks (Ireland U21), Carrie Hanks (USA U21), Joe Waterston, Tara Aitchison and Bella Fiskin (Scotland U21), and Lottie Hulme (Wales U21).
The following players took part in the Great Britain Elite Development Programme: Paige Gillott, Gareth Griffiths, Will Hewer, Morgan Males, Kyle Marshall, Nick Park, Lottie Ross and Eloise Stenner.
The club's 1st team squads attracted a number of overseas players this season: Serena Barr and Jade Lamont (Ireland), Matthew Crookshanks (Ireland), Carrie Hanks (USA), Bridget Kiddle (New Zealand) and Quentin Lemaire (Belgium).
Nick King represented England Over 65s at Real Club de Polo de Barcelona in the Masters Hockey World Cup. Nick made his England debut aged 65, was top goalscorer in the competition winning the Golden Stick, and the team went on to win the competition.
In the 2018/19 season the men's 1st team finished third in the England Hockey Men's Premier League, qualifying for the Championship play-offs for the third successive year at Lee Valley where they lost to eventual winners Hampstead and Westminster 1-2. The team also reached the quarter-final of the England Hockey Cup, losing to Peterborough in a penalty shoot-out. The team played in the England Hockey Super 6's Division 1 and finished in third place.
Adam Dixon was named in the England Hockey Premier League team of the year again.
Following promotion to the Investec Premier League, the ladies 1st team maintained their status in the league, finishing sixth in the 2018/19 season. The team also reached the quarter-final of the England Hockey Cup, losing narrowly to Buckingham.
The team were relegated from the Super 6's indoor Premier League after finishing ninth in the division.
The U12 Boys reached the National Finals, held at Nottingham Hockey Centre on Saturday 18 May. The team won the Midlands final after a penalty shoot-out at Aldersey Leisure Village.
The U14 Girls reached the Tier 2 Championship finals on 12 May.
The U16 Boys won the new England Hockey Tier 2 Championship.
The U18 Boys reached the semi-final stage of the England Hockey Tier 1 Championships.
The U18 Boys and U18 Girls reached the National Indoor Finals.
James Albery, Nicki Cochrane, Adam Dixon, Mark Gleghorne, Sam Ward and Ollie Willars were all part of the Great Britain centrally contracted squads based at Bisham Abbey.
The club had good representation at the Commonwealth Games with Adam, Mark, Sam and Ollie all picking up a bronze medal with England. Nicki Cochrane and Caro Hulme represented Scotland and Wales respectively.
The following players took part in the Great Britain Development Programme: Alex Blumfield, Esme Burge, Issy Davison, Paige Gillott, Robbie Gleeson, Gareth Griffiths, Kyle Marshall, Eloise Stenner, Rebekah Walker and Lucas Ward.
The club's 1st team squads attracted overseas players: Lucas Garcia Alcalde (Spain), Marius Gemmel (Germany), Nicola Hammond (Australia), Vicente Martin (Chile) and Sofie ter Kuile (Netherlands).
In the 2017/18 season the men's 1st team finished third in the England Hockey Men's Premier League. The team reached the final of the England Hockey Cup, losing to Reading in a shoot-out. The team played in the England Hockey Super 6's Division 1 and finished runners-up.
Adam Dixon and Sam Ward were named in the England Hockey Premier League team of the year.
The ladies 1st team had a superb season finishing 11 points clear in the Investec North Conference, winning 17 games out of 18. They beat Stourport 1-0, Hampstead and Westminster 2-1 and drew 1-1 against Slough in the England Hockey play-off finals to gain promotion into the Investec Premier League for the 2018/19 season.
They also achieved promotion into the Super 6's indoor Premier League, the first time in the club's history.
Sophie Robinson picked up the Investec North Conference player of the season and top goalscorer awards for the fourth year in a row.
Esme Burge, Paige Gillott and Sophie Robinson were named in the England Hockey North Conference team of the year.
The U12 Girls reached the National Finals and finished second overall in their group behind Sevenoaks and progressed to the 3/4 playoffs where they beat Clifton Robinson to secure third overall nationally.
The U16 Boys reached the National Finals at Nottingham Hockey Centre in April.
The U18 Boys reached the National Indoor Finals and the Tier 2 outdoor semi-final.
The U18 Girls reached the National Indoor Finals.
In the 2016/17 season the men's 1st team finished fifth in the England Hockey Men's Premier League. A highlight was the England Hockey Cup game against Holcombe at Nottingham Hockey Centre. The game finished 3-3 and Beeston won after a penalty stroke competition in front of a large home crowd. The team reached the quarter-final of the England Hockey Cup and lost to eventual winners Reading. The team played in the England Hockey Super 6's Division 1 and finished runners-up.
Mark Gleghorne, Ollie Willars and James Albery were all part of the England and Great Britain central programme based at Bisham Abbey. Mark Gleghorne was named in the England Hockey Premier League team of the year, as voted by players.
The squad this season was very young, with the majority of players U21.
In the 2016/17 season the ladies 1st team finished second in the Investec Women's Conference North League and were unlucky not to have won the league.
The team reached the semi-final of the Investec Cup for the first time in the club's history where they lost to Premier League side Clifton Robinsons with the final strike of the game.
The ladies gained promotion to the England Hockey Super 6s Division 1, having won Division 2. The ladies 1st team squad consisted of many U18 players and a number of the team's younger players achieved national age-group representation.
Sophie Robinson was named in the England Hockey North Conference League team of the year. Sophie also picked up the top goalscorer and player of the year awards for the second year running.
The ladies 2nd XI reached the England Hockey Ladies 2nd XI Plate final and finished runners-up to Sevenoaks.
The U18 boys and U16 and U18 girls all reached the National Indoor Finals, with the U18 boys and U16 girls reaching the semi-final stage.
The U14 girls reached the England Hockey National Finals and finished seventh.
The U16 boys and girls both reached the England Hockey National Finals at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. The boys finished runners-up and the girls finished fourth.
The U18 boys and girls both reached the National Final. The girls beat Reading 6-1 and the boys lost to Surbiton 4-2.
In the 2015/16 season the men's 1st team finished sixth in the England Hockey Men's Premier League. The team won their fifth EH Cup final at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on 1 May 2016 against Chichester HC. The score was 3-0 to the Bees with two goals from Richard Lawrence and one from Stuart Pilgrim. The side were relegated from the Indoor Premier League but planned to push for promotion the following season. David Ames, Adam Dixon, Mark Gleghorne, Harry Martin, Gordon McIntyre, Tim Whiteman and Ollie Willars were all part of the England and Great Britain central programme based at Bisham Abbey.
In the 2015/16 season the ladies 1st team finished fourth in the Investec Women's Conference North League. The team reached the third round of the Investec Cup where they lost to Birmingham University. The women re-entered indoor competition and, after winning the Midlands Qualifier, progressed to National Division 2 where they finished fifth. Many younger players achieved national age-group representation. The team also finished top of the umpires match ratings for hospitality and enjoyment. Gareth Hall departed after two seasons and Colin Clarke was appointed coach for 2016/17.
Iain Randall represented England Over 40s in the World Cup in Australia in April 2016. They reached the final, losing to Australia in the closing minutes.
Congratulations went to the men's 5th team who won their league on the final game of the season and to the ladies 6th team who reached the final of the Notts Women's Shield and finished runners-up.
The U16 and U18 Girls retained the England Hockey National Indoor titles. The U18 boys finished runners-up at the National Indoor finals.
The U18 Girls retained their National Title in May 2016.
Forty-two boys and girls were selected for JRPC tier 2 activities; 11 of these were selected for the NAGS academies representing England at junior level.
An eventful season.
The men's 1st XI came fourth in the Now Pensions Premier Division, losing to East Grinstead and Surbiton in the playoffs. Having reached the last 16 in the Euro Hockey League they were beaten by Belgian side Royal Daring.
David Ames was voted Player of the Year by fellow players in the Premier Division.
After 29 successful years, Graham Griffiths stepped down as 1st XI Manager, having brought Beeston from a Midlands side to Premier League Champions, England Hockey Cup winners and European representatives.
Steve Musson, previously Assistant Manager, was appointed in his place.
The men's 1st XI set an all-time record in the England Hockey Cup when they beat Hampton in Arden 25-0 in the third round.
The men's 2nd XI won the national 2nd XI Plate Final and the 3rd XI secured promotion to the Midlands 3rd XI Premier Division.
The ladies 1st XI had a difficult year and were relegated to Conference North Division.
In contrast, the ladies 2nd XI came third in their league and won the Ladies 2nd XI Cup, beating Surbiton on penalties.
James Hopkisson resigned as ladies 1st XI manager and was replaced by Chris Glover. A new coach was also to be appointed.
After the most successful junior season ever, Martin and Judith Keeling retired after over 20 years of service.
That year saw the Boys U18 as national runners-up; Boys U16 as national champions; Girls U18 as national champions; and Girls U16 as national runners-up. The U14 Boys were also national champions.
At indoor competitions the U16 and U18 Girls and the U16 Boys were all national champions. Beeston were the only club to reach all U16 and U18 finals.
Julie Airey was appointed Junior Co-ordinator.
A major administrative change took place with the setup of Beeston Hockey Club as a limited company. Five directors were elected at the AGM: Richard Butler (Chairman), Andy Smith (Secretary), Adam Milsom (Treasurer), Graham Griffiths and David Griffiths.
The existing water-based pitch was to be refurbished and an additional water-based pitch, in partnership with Nottingham University, was planned for the start of 2015/16.
A new system for membership fees and match tax collection was put in place to improve club finances.
The coaching structure for adult and junior sections was reviewed to support the strategy of Sport for All.
At the Annual Dinner and Awards evening, the club raised more than GBP 9,000 for the new Pitch Fund.
In 2010/11 the men's 1st XI retained the England Hockey Cup beating Doncaster 6-2 in the final and won the League championship by beating East Grinstead 2-1 in the play-offs. In European competition they reached the quarter-finals where they were narrowly defeated by Dutch side HGC.
The men's 2nd XI won their league championship and 2nd XI Cup beating Southgate 3-2 with David Griffiths scoring a hat-trick.
The men's 4th XI were league champions.
The ladies 1st XI maintained their status in the Women's Conference North League and the ladies 2nd XI won promotion to the Midlands Premier League. The ladies 3rd XI won the Notts Women's Hockey League knock-out cup and the 4th XI won their league and gained promotion to the Notts Ladies Premier League.
It was also a great year for juniors. The U18 and U16 boys were both national champions and the U18 and U16 girls both reached their national quarter-finals.
In indoor competition the men's 1st XI gained silver and retained Premier Division status for 2011/12, and the Girls U18s were national champions.
In April 2012 the replacement sand-dressed pitch was opened and plans for a major hockey centre at Highfields were revealed.
In March 2012, at the annual English Hockey Board Awards, Beeston Hockey Club was named Harvester Club of the Season.
Both Beeston men's and ladies 1st XIs were named Teams of the Year by the City of Nottingham and Broxtowe BC.
The men's 1st XI won the England Hockey Cup for the third consecutive season, beating Hampstead and Westminster 2-1.
After coming second in the Premiership they secured second place in the play-offs, meaning they would represent England in the Euro Hockey League in 2012/13.
In 2012 they reached the last eight knock-out stage in the Euro Hockey League, beating Club Campo de Madrid 2-1 but later losing to a strong UHC Hamburg team.
At indoor competition the men's 1st team were runners-up, retaining their place in the Premier League for the next year.
The ladies 1st XI won the Investec Conference North League against strong opposition and were the highest goalscorers in all ladies national leagues. They narrowly failed to achieve promotion at the play-offs.
In 2013 the ladies 1st XI became Women's Conference North Champions and gained promotion to the Investec Premier League.
The ladies 2nd and 3rd XIs won their respective leagues.
Ellie Watton and Hollie Webb were selected for England.
Alastair Wilson, Harry Martin and George Pinner were named in the 2012 Olympic squad.
The men's 1st XI won the Now Pensions Premier League by 11 points and became league champions by beating Surbiton 5-1 in the play-off final, securing Euro League Hockey for 2013/14.
In the Euro Hockey League the men's 1st XI reached the quarter-finals again, beating East Grinstead 3-2 in extra time but eventually losing to the winners Bloemendaal.
Adam Dixon captained England and was named Now Pensions Player of the Year.
Simon Egerton won the top goalscoring award and six of the men's 1st XI were contracted for the England training squad: Ben Arnold, Adam Dixon, Harry Martin, George Pinner, Tim Whiteman and Ollie Willars.
Ben Arnold, Adam Dixon, Harry Martin, George Pinner, Michael Hoare, Simon Egerton and Ollie Willars represented England at the Super 9s and Champions Trophy tournament in Australia in November 2012.
The men's 1st XI were named Team of the Season and the Now Pensions Junior Award went to Harry Martin.
At the end of the season there were coaching changes, with Matt Taylor appointed Technical Director to oversee coaching across the club. He took over as men's 1st XI head coach from Martin Jones, whose leadership had helped the team reach the Euro Hockey League quarter-finals for three seasons, win two England Hockey Cup titles and two Premier League Championship titles.
In 2013/14 the men's 1st XI won the League Championship play-offs, beating East Grinstead in a penalty shoot-out and securing Euro Hockey League qualification again. They also reached the last 16 in the Euro Hockey League finals in April but lost narrowly to Belgian side Waterloo Ducks.
The ladies 1st XI retained National Premier League status, finishing seventh.
The ladies 2nd XI became Midlands Premier League Champions for the second year running and the ladies 6th XI won promotion to Notts Women's League Division 2.
At the Annual Hockey Writers Higgins Awards evening, Adam Dixon was named UK Player of the Year. Chris Proctor and Rebekah Walker won their respective U18 Player of the Year awards.
Beeston Hockey Club was awarded Amateur Club of the Year 2013 by Nottingham City Council and the men's 1st XI was named Team of the Year 2013.
At the Nottinghamshire Annual Sports Awards for 2013, BHC men's 1st XI was awarded Achievement of the Year.
At the Nottingham Post Awards, Beeston Hockey Club was named Club of the Year 2013.
Many players secured international recognition: Suzy Petty, Ellie Watton, Adam Dixon, Harry Martin, Tim Whiteman, Ben Arnold, Ollie Willars and George Pinner for England; Phoebe Richards for Wales; Gordon McIntyre and Gareth Hall for Scotland; and Mo Ghandi for USA.
At the Annual Dinner and Awards Evening over GBP 1,000 was raised to purchase a defibrillator for the clubhouse.
At the AGM in May, Martin Keeling stepped down as Chairman after five years and Richard Butler was elected as the new Chairman.
In 2000, Beeston were relegated to Division 1 and narrowly missed promotion back to the Premiership for six seasons. Superb new facilities at Highfields Hockey Centre were being constructed and a young Beeston side, led on the field since 1994/95 by Stephen Wood, gradually emerged to coincide with the success of Highfields Sports Club.
In 2006, Beeston, playing as the Nottinghamshire county team, won the National County Championship for the first time in 49 years of the competition. In addition, the club regained Premier League status, beating Old Loughtonians in the play-offs in June 2006.
In the 2007/08 centenary season Beeston won the Hockey Association Cup after an exciting final against Bowdon at Highfields, winning 4-3 with David Griffiths scoring the vital goal four minutes from time.
For 2008/09 the men's 1st XI, captained by Stephen Lawrence, came third in the National League, which led to a place in the Euro Hockey League for 2009/10. However, they lost their third HA Cup Final 3-1 to Reading HC.
In 2009/10 Beeston Hockey Club men's 1st team maintained their position as one of the top two hockey teams in the country and won the England Hockey Cup for the second time in three years with a 2-1 victory over Hampstead and Westminster.
In the league they were 10 minutes away from winning only to surrender a 4-1 lead to East Grinstead to draw 4-4 and eventually lose on penalty flicks.
On their return to European competition, they reached the last 16 before losing narrowly and missing out on the European quarter-finals.